Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Gustav Olofsson returned to Sweden after playing youth hockey in California and skated for IF Bjorkloven and participated in the TV-Pucken tournament for high school age players in Sweden. He played for Vasterbotten in the tournament and had 1 assist with 4 penalty minutes in seven games.

2010-11: Olofsson moved back to the United States and played for the Colorado Thunderbirds U16 midget team. He scored 5 goals with 10 assists and had 18 penalty minutes in 35 games. Olofsson was selected by Green Bay in the second round (29th overall) of the 2011 USHL Entry Draft.

2011-12: Olofsson made his USHL debut, playing in three November games for Green Bay, and was the second leading scorer for the Colorado Thunderbirds U18 team. He had 1 assist and was +1 in his brief time with the Gamblers. Olofsson scored 5 goals with a team-high 25 assists and had 10 penalty minutes in 38 games for the Thunderbirds. In March he committed to playing hockey at Colorado College in either 2013-14 or 2014-15.

2012-13: Olofsson was named to the USHL’s All-Rookie team in his first season with Green Bay and played in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He played 63 games for the Gamblers and scored 2 goals with 21 assists and was +11 with 59 penalty minutes. The defending Clark Cup champions, Green Bay finished second in the East Division but were beaten by Youngstown in the playoff quarterfinals. Olofsson was scoreless and -2 in the four game series. He was ranked 51st amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Olofsson made his pro hockey debut in April — signing a three-year entry-level contract with Minnesota in March 2014 following his freshman season at Colorado College and joining Wild AHL affiliate Iowa. He scored 1 goal and was -1 with 2 penalty minutes in eight AHL games. Iowa missed the AHL playoffs; finishing fifth in the Midwest Division. Playing on the top defense pair for Colorado College with junior Peter Stoykewych (WPG), he scored 4 goals with 4 assists and was -12 with 20 penalty minutes. Colorado College finished seventh in the first season of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and was swept by North Dakota in an NCHC quarterfinal series.

2014-15: Olofsson skated with the Wild in the Traverse City prospect tournament and impressed in training camp with Minnesota before being assigned to AHL affiliate Iowa. He skated in one game, suffering a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.

2015-16: Olofsson made his NHL debut with the Wild in a November 19th game against Boston and appeared in two games with Minnesota, spending most of the season with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He had no points nor penalties, averaging nine minutes of ice time with Minnesota. Olofsson played 52 games with Iowa, scoring 2 goals with 15 assists, and was -11 with 12 penalty minutes for the last-place Wild, who missed the AHL playoffs for the third straight season.

Talent Analysis

Olofsson is a lanky, mobile defender. He is capable of joining the rush and has a big shot but is viewed more as a stay-at-home type.

Future

Olofsson appeared in two NHL games with the Wild and played for Minnesota AHL affiliate Iowa, getting back into the lineup in 2015-16 after missing the previous season with a shoulder injury. Expected to challenge for a full-time spot in the Minnesota Wild defense corps next season, Olofsson projected as a top-four defender prior to getting hurt and should be close to getting back to that potential after a full summer of conditioning.

Photo: With a shortage of NHL forwards signed for next season, the Wild may have to rely on a player like leading Iowa scorer Zack Mitchell to step up into a depth role (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

Once again it has been a tough year to be a prospect in the Minnesota Wild organization. Chris Porter, Jarret Stoll, David Jones, and Nate Prosser took some of the minutes in the NHL often reserved for younger players but the team lacked for better options. Although Christian Folin (eventually) graduated, Mike Reilly looked like a possible fit during his stint, and Kurtis Gabriel got a great opportunity to play a role in the playoffs, the team’s lack of NHL-ready depth was a major factor in a disappointing season.

Photo: The Minnesota Wild’s 2014 first-round pick and top prospect, Alex Tuch, sets his sights on a national title for Boston College (courtesy of Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Wild‘s struggles this season cost head coach Mike Yeo his job, but a bigger problem than his decision-making threatens the Wild’s future success. The prospect pool lacks star quality. Though there has been plenty of trade babble, young stars and old come at premium prices. Rather than having a budding home-grown star waiting in the wings, the Wild’s recent run of below-average drafting has meant little flexibility for Chuck Fletcher, as well as an AHL team mired at the bottom of the standings.

Photo: If Minnesota Wild prospect Gustav Olofsson is ready for NHL minutes soon, he might make another young defenseman expendable (courtesy of Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Now past the midpoint of the 2015-16 season, a relatively healthy and whole Minnesota Wild team is cooling of late. Offense is down, shots for are down, shots against are up, and points have been lost in the NHL’s new 3-on-3 overtime format. The Wild has dropped four in a row while the rival Chicago Blackhawks are on a 12-game winning streak. Read more»

Photo: It might be overstating things to call Christoph Bertschy’s North American debut ‘long-awaited’ but the 2012 sixth-rounder has long been one of the most promising prospects in the Wild system (courtesy of Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

By now it has become clear that fielding a competitive AHL team is just not part of Chuck Fletcher and the Wild’s plans. As of this writing, the Iowa Wild is again in last place in the AHL, with the fewest points and the most games played.

Photo: Harvard University product and current Quad City Mallard Steve Michalek is off to a good start as a pro, being named the ECHL rookie of the month for October (courtesy of Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire)

Chuck Fletcher’s name comes up in the discussion for best general manager in the NHL. While his record is not without blemish, and he cannot really claim the title without a championship, the consensus is that he has done a good job of building a contending squad from one that seemed to be running in place. However, some of that success came at the cost of organizational depth. The AHL results have been poor, and misguided drafting takes some blame for the lack of skill in the developmental league.